About us

From The Director's Desk

Dear Visitor,

Greetings from KFRI

Established in 1975, nestled in the sylvan moist deciduous fringes of Western Ghats forests near Peechi dam in central Kerala, KFRI has been noted for its rich culture, tradition and experience in the field of tropical forest ecology, tree improvement and genetics, silviculture, wood science, protection forestry and forest based livelihoods. Together with the field stations located 20 km away in Palappally and 160 km away in Nilambur, KFRI is a hub of research and outreach activities. At KFRI, we seek to foster and synergise scientific temperament amongst academic community and the civil society towards the intertwined existence of social and ecological systems. KFRI draws its inspiration from a multidisciplinary team of researchers and support staff backed by well-equipped infrastructure facilities.

In the context of increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, our focus in the coming years will be to see how climate resilient practices can be inclusive and protective of the social, ecological and cultural fabric of our society. Thus, forests and riverine ecosystems, use and governance of forest and water wealth, managing human-wild life interfaces, alien/ invasive species, forest fire and agroforestry will be of particular interest to us, among others.

Building on this topical focus, harnessing citizen science and indigenous knowledge, KFRI will strive for innovations in wood based manufacturing and value chains to reduce the ecological foot print of Kerala's growing economy and consumer society.

KFRI is also ideally positioned to provide scientific support for decision making on matters related to ecology, biodiversity conservation, forestry and sustainable livelihoods to all concerned stakeholders and will continue to render yeoman service in that arena. A dedicated Tree Helpline established in KFRI has been an effective communication medium to understand and address issues at grassroots level. As a socially responsible academic institution, we encourage you to visit KFRI and also address your queries directly to kfri@kfri.org or director@kfri.org